Young people choosing a financial planning career can look to CFP™ certification for an holistic pathway to doing the right thing for consumers, says CISI

By Lora Benson | Jun 10, 2019

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Young people choosing financial planning as a career can be supported in their need to do the right thing for consumers, helping them achieve personal and financial freedom, by choosing the global CFPTM certification, says Jacqueline Lockie, CISI Head of Financial Planning.

The new, improved CFPTM certification, following two years of extensive review will, at Level 7 on the UK National Qualifications Framework, be the UK’s highest level qualification for financial planners.

The CFPTM certification is considered the global standard of excellence in financial planning being the international recognised licence overseen by the Financial Planning Standards Board Ltd. (FPSB) in Denver, USA. It demonstrates to the consumer that the CFPTM practitioner is committed to professionalism and that she or he has meet rigorous competence, ethics and professional practice standards to provide comprehensive financial planning services. At the end of 2018 there were 181,360 CFPTM professionals worldwide, with organisations delivering or preparing to deliver CFPTM certification in 26 countries and territories.

The CFPTM ethos is based on qualifying professionals to work with both individuals and families to help review all aspects of their financial affairs. The aim is to recommend to the consumer practical, easy-to-understand, holistic solutions for every life stage.

“The 360 degree, holistic approach offered by the CFPTM pathway means that consumers are engaged in a two-way conversation with a financial planning professional who puts their financial well-being and life goals first, with any discussion on products featuring at the end of this advice process. The new generation of young people choosing financial planning as a career want to act with integrity and do the right thing for the consumer, and the CFPTM designation is the globally respected credential which can match their personal ethics.”

“The CISI’s new CFPTM pathway has been renewed and redesigned to nurture our existing financial planning community by building a larger and stronger community of financial planners where best practice can be more widely shared and new ideas can be developed to move the profession forward for the benefit of the public.”

In a recent FPSB survey of over 3,500 CFP professionals across six global territories when asked about career advancement after receiving their CFPTM certification 72% of respondents reported increased satisfaction with their careers. In addition, 37% reported they had got a new job, earned a promotion or started their own practice.

The CISI study pathway to CFPTM certification has been restructured to raise CISI’s Diploma in Financial Planning from Level 6 to Level 7 reflecting the inclusion of the application of a broader range of knowledge.

Candidates for CFP certification who have achieved the Level 7 Diploma, along with having completed three years’ relevant experience, and who take the CISI Integrity Test, are CISI members and log annual CPD are eligible to become a CFPTM certificant. The CFPTM is an annually renewable licence with the CISI in the UK.

“It has been 10 years since the CFPTM was last reviewed. During this time both the market and the complexity of the financial advice required has changed. The new Level 7 recognises this complexity and now equips the licence holder with the skills to meet this demand.

“As a global certification there is nothing which matches the CFPTM designation for the breadth and depth of financial planning knowledge, putting the consumer experience and well-being at the heart of this process. The new improved CFPTM meets the FPSB requirements on four key levels: Exam, Ethics, Education and Experience. It is also now on a par with CISI’s other high-level qualification, the Level 7 Chartered Wealth Manager“, said CISI’s Jacqueline Lockie.

The CFPTM course workbook is now available, with a sample exam paper ready in July 2019. The first exam sitting is 19 September 2019. Those interested in further details about this first September 2019 sitting will need to check that they meet the eligibility requirements by emailing fpexams@cisi.org. An FAQ on the new CFPTM pathway, including all transitional information, can be found at cisi.org/cfp